Bungie.net is a Technical Marvel

We didn't pen the title. Step inside to find out who did.

Peter Ryan over at Gamasutra takes and in-depth look at how game developers are utilizing their web content to enhance their titles. And wouldn't you know it, Bungie Studios is prominently featured in the article.

Halo: The Cole Protocol

Amazon.com has gone live with the back copy for Tobias Buckell's Halo: The Cole Protocol. Thanks to HBO for scaring up the link. Here's the copy from Tobias' blog:

"In the first, desperate days of the Human-Covenant War, the UNSC has enacted the Cole Protocol to safeguard Earth and its Inner Colonies from discovery by a merciless alien foe. Many are called upon to rid the universe of lingering navigation data that would reveal the location of Earth. Among them is Navy Lieutenant Jacob Keyes. Thrust back into action after being sidelined, Keyes is saddled with a top secret mission by ONI. One that will take him deep behind enemy lines, to a corner of the universe where nothing is as it seems.

Out beyond the Outer Colonies lies the planet Hesiod, a gas giant surrounded by a vast asteroid belt. As the Covenant continues to glass the human occupied planets near Hesiod, many of the survivors, helped by a stronghold of human Insurrectionists, are fleeing to the asteroid belt for refuge. They have transformed the tumbling satellites into a tenuous, yet ingenious, settlement known as the Rubble–and have come face-to-face with a Covenant settlement of Kig-Yar . . . yet somehow survived.

News of this unlikely treaty has spread to the warring sides. Luckily for the UNSC, this uneasy alliance is in the path of the Spartan Gray Team, a three-man renegade squad whose simple task is to wreak havoc from behind enemy lines in any way they see fit. But the Prophets have also sent their best—an ambitious and ruthless Elite, whose quest for nobility and rank is matched only by his brutality . . . and who will do anything to secure his Ascendancy and walk the Path."

St. Louis to Seattle: Urk's Tale

One man-child's great journey to the magical Northwest.

I can’t mark the moment the realization took hold. Even the interview loop—made ethereal by nearly eighteen hours without sleep—seemed shrouded in fog. Reality seemed comprised only of Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. States that faded away as fast as my wagon—a trusty Honda—could power me westward.

It could have clicked someplace in South Dakota, where the bleached grass was broken only by hand painted signs promising marvels in The Original 1880’s Town. Authentic set pieces from Dances with Wolves, Otis the Camel, and a Casey Tibb’s museum. They even proclaimed ownership of the “Real” General Lee. Whether or not they had the old Duke boys’ wheels stored away in an old, graying barn or the actual Civil War general, a gnarled gray visage stuffed and propped, I’ll never know. When 1880’s Town came up on the left, I didn’t take my foot off the pedal.

Because as strange as the promises offered by those hand painted signs seemed, as surreal and absurd as packing up my belongings and heading to Seattle was—the endpoint on my map was Kirkland, Washington. I had landed a gig with Bungie.

How bizarre.

I remember watching the Halo 2 E3 Demonstration (yeah, that one) and just being floored by it. The curious opening notes as the Chief’s Pelican ducked down below the cloud cover, the gravity-defying megalopolis of New Mombasa looming, and the decimated defending UNSC ground forces, left in no condition to fight.

When I walked into the interview with Bungie at eight o’clock in the morning, similar sensations coursed through me. A sense of curiosity and wonder, the looming prospect of a day packed with 11 interviewers, and the fear that the previous night, sleepless, nearly every moment spent with my laptop in the hotel room writing (and rewriting) the required submissions—an assignment that was handed over by the hotel concierge just before I begrudgingly drug my suitcase toward the elevator that carried me to my room—could've sapped my fortitude and rendered my responses senseless and unintelligible. Apparently the good burgers at Bungie thought I was wide awake.

I kept my foot on the pedal. And I filled my tank again and again, with the bitter wonder of freshly brewed and generously poured coffee.

“How do I get a job at Bungie Studios?” It’s not an uncommon question. It pops up all the time in the usual community haunts. But it might be the wrong one to ask. I did a fifteen year stint working jobs that answered the wrong questions. “How much will I earn?” ‘How long is the commute?” “Will it advance my career?” I wanted to be a writer, but words didn’t answer those questions for me. So I worked retail, and then customer service, and then Information Technology. And I can’t remember the exact moment the realization took shape for me, but sure enough, one day I allowed myself to entertain the idea that I could be a writer. Not with an eye toward working for Bungie, or any other company for that matter, but because it’s something I’m passionate about. Because my mom has a binder in the living room curio filled with stories I was conjuring up from Kindergarten on. Because I love doing it.

In the coming months I’m going to be talking to other Bungie employees, some you may already know, others who are somewhat new to the team. Though their stories probably won’t be as maudlin as my own, they should give you a great look into the diverse paths taken to land jobs at Bungie across multiple disciplines. Buckle up. I hope you’ll enjoy the ride as much as I have.

HALOween Zombies Charity Tournament

"The PraetoriaGuard and Gaming4Others are presenting the HALOween Zombies Charity Tournament, Saturday November 1st at 8 pm ET.

Join us in a Zombies-fest to benefit the Epilepsy Foundation and also to win some AWESOME prizes!
Defend yourself in our Haunted Mansion,
hide in Darkness and attempt to relax on a deadly Resort. Be the last
man standing and win LEFT4DEAD and a signed limited edition Halo3 tee
all in a Trick or Treat pillowcase filled with candy!
Prizes for 2nd (including a 3 month XBL
gold card), 3rd and 4th place are also included.

Read more about it in
the PraetoriaGuard’s Tournament Forum and register at Gaming4Others.org. Registration fee is a minimum $5 donation benefiting the Epilepsy Foundation.

Epilepsy affects about 10% of America’s
population. Research for a cure is ongoing and the funds from the
tournament will add to this effort. We play on behalf of One Eyed
Fool’s brother, Grant. He is an inspiration and we are honored to be helping in his cause.
Sponsored by the PratoriaGuard, Gaming4Others, Breaking the Game, Xbox LIVE and Turtle Rock Studios."

Deus Ex Machina: Episode 9

DigitalPh33r does more than Arby 'n' the Chief. He also does subtitles. If you're not
familiar with his more serious brand of machinima, the Deus Ex Machina might be
a good place to get initiated.

"John has been wounded and kicked down the same decapitator hole
he once narrowly escaped with Michael's help and has been left for
dead, this time with no one to help him. Meanwhile, the UNSC have
formed a line of defense around the perimeter of Salvation City waiting
for the invading Covenant Fleet to arrive."

TTL Celebrates 3 Years With...A Montage!

What better way to celebrate a birthday than with a self-aggrandizing highlight reel?

The Tied The Leader Gunslingers celebrated their 3rd birthday recently,
and to honor that event we present the latest Plays Of The Month
montage! Swing by our blog at www.tiedtheleader.com for a full write up on the event, or to view the video in a variety of flavors.

Don’t bother with singing that awful Happy Birthday song. Just click on the button that makes the pictures fly through the air.

Note: It might be my first day, but Luke has already familiarized me with the "Reject" button. While we definitely want to know about all the sweet things you've scared up on the World Wide Web, we really have no interest in reading about what your little brother did with your Xbox 360 (the little scamp).

Fight Like a Girl

The Cavegirl’s third annual Fight Like a Girl tournament to benefit Breast and Cervical Cancer is on.

For three years running, TheDonWan and Zoom Demon of the Cavegirls have been organizing the Fight Like a Girl tournament, which has raised over $5,000 for Breast and Cervical Cancer research. Each year the tournament and the number of participants grows larger and we are again looking to exceed expectations this year.

The Free for All tournament will be held on October 25 and the 4v4 tournament on October 26. You can register alone for the FFA or 4v4, or if you’d like you can register as a team for the 4v4. If you’d just like to donate to the cause, please feel free! We’re extremely grateful for your generosity, and equally proud to be a part of a Halo community that gives back.

Note: This is not a Bungie Studios sponsored tournament, but it is a great cause. And it's also coming up fast (sorry for the late notice, Cavegirls). If you're feeling charitable, check out the site linked above.

HaloBible - Bungie.org's Newest Project!

Check out the HaloBible.Bungie.Org for debates, articles, and discussions about Halo's Story.

Being the first project to feature strict canonical adherence with no speculation (in articles), and formal, professional debates about various things in the Halo Universe, HaloBible.bungie.org is a project that seeks to index and document all aspects of Halo Canon, from books to games, etc.

The project is being headed up by some experienced and seasoned ARG/Story veterans, and they would love for you to come share your knowledge with them!

Site Maintenance Complete!

Starting tonight around midnight Bungie.net will be getting some hardware upgrades.

Edit: The upgrades are complete.

Tonight around midnight you may be unable to sign-in or use parts of the site that require sign-in. We'll be performing a series of hardware upgrades to better handle the growing size of the community.

Everything should be back to normal just a few hours later. Thanks for your patience.

October Grifball Double EXP Weekend!

I want to say that this game is "smashing," but there's only room enough for one person to make bad jokes on the front page of this website.

Starting now (11am PDT, October 16th, year Two Thousand and Eight), Grifball returns as reigning champion of Double EXP weekends. If you're just now joining us, Grifball is a variant of Neutral Bomb Assault made by our good friends at Rooster Teeth. Gravity Hammers, Energy Swords, and various tweaks to movement speed and damage resistance make the action fast paced and crazy. Grifball is social, so go in as a team, or go in alone and make some friends!

For those of you that are well versed in Grifball, the Grifball team at RedVsBlue have a couple suggestions that might make your weekend even more interesting! First is the Grifball Adopt-A-Noob program. If you meet a player in the playlist that seems new (or even if you just meet someone unfamiliar with Grifball while playing Halo), introduce them to the gametype, show them how to play, then get them involved on the website and forums. Anyone that helps expand the Grifball community has a chance to win a pretty sweet prize.

The other new item for this weekend's playlist is the XP competition. A prize may or may not be given to the person that reports the highest XP earned this weekend in Grifball. Keep in mind that you'll have to have legit XP. The only prize boosters will get is a world of hurt.

Neither of these events are Bungie sponsored, so don't go messaging me about how much XP you earned this weekend. Instead, go talk to xilv on the Grifball website.

Grifball Double EXP weekend is available from 11am PDT, October 16th until 2am October 20th. Heroic Map Pack is required as Foundry is the only map in the playlist. For more information about Grifball, check out the Official Grifball Website.

Rocket Race Weekend Begins!

Back in September, we wished Rocket Race a fond farewell. However, the playlist is neither down nor out. Starting now, Rocket Race lives on as double EXP, exactly how you remember it.

For those that missed out on this playlist (how could you? It was around for like a year!), Rocket Race is an interesting take on VIP where teams of two use Mongooses to reach goal points before the opposing teams. Well, being faster is one way of thwarting the other teams. The other way is to have your VIP use his infinite rockets to send the other teams flying across the map. Players are invincible (save for assassinations) so the real focus is racing rather than killing.

Rocket Race is available from Thursday, October 9th, 11am PDT until Monday the 13th at 2am. Heroic Map Pack required. Have fun!